Application tune manifests and tune state recovery

ABSTRACT

In accordance with one or more aspects, a request to run an application is received. The application has an associated tune manifest that identifies one or more resources that the application may use. The tune manifest is compared to a device resource record, and a check is made, based at least in part on the comparing, whether the one or more resources identified in the tune manifest can be satisfied by the device. If the one or more resources identified in the tune manifest can be satisfied by the device, then the application is run; otherwise, a notification of a conflict between the application and the device is presented. Additionally, when the application exits, a device tune state that identifies a content source to which the device was tuned prior to running the application can be retrieved and the device restored to this device tune state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/396,341, filed Mar. 2, 2009. The aforementioned, earlier-filedapplication is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

As computing devices and television viewing have begun to merge,enhanced functionality can be made available to television viewers. Onetype of such enhanced functionality is the ability to run applicationson devices that also provide for playback of television programming.While such enhanced functionality has its advantages, it is not withoutits problems. One such problem is that resource requirements ofdifferent applications can conflict, and can be inconsistent withresource capabilities of the device. Accordingly, the running of suchapplications can fail or provide unacceptable results, decreasing theusability of the device.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In accordance with one or more aspects, a request to run an applicationis received. The application has an associated tune manifest thatidentifies one or more resources that the application may use. The tunemanifest is compared to a device resource record, and a check is made,based at least in part on the comparing, whether the one or moreresources identified in the tune manifest can be satisfied by thedevice. If the one or more resources identified in the tune manifest canbe satisfied by the device, then the application is run; otherwise, anotification of a conflict between the application and the device ispresented.

In accordance with one or more aspects, an identification is made as towhen an application that has been running on a device is exited. Inresponse to the application being exited, a device tune state thatidentifies a content source to which the device was tuned prior torunning the application is retrieved, and the device is restored to thisdevice tune state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference likefeatures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example consumer device implementing theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system using tune manifests in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for usingapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for using theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example system in which one or more embodiments ofthe application tune manifests and tune state recovery can beimplemented.

FIG. 6 illustrates various components of an example consumer device thatcan implement one or more embodiments of the application tune manifestsand tune state recovery.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example entertainment and information system inwhich one or more embodiments of the application tune manifests and tunestate recovery can be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Application tune manifests and tune state recovery are discussed herein.A consumer device that plays back audio/video content can also executeone or more applications. When a request to run an application isreceived, the device obtains a tune manifest for the application thatidentifies one or more resources of the device that the application maytry to use when it runs. The device then checks a device resource recordto determine whether the one or more resources are available. Theapplication is run if the one or more resources are available, and theuser is notified of a conflict if the one or more resources are notavailable.

Additionally, prior to running an application, a device tune state canbe saved. The device tune state identifies a content source to which thedevice was tuned prior to running the application, and can also identifya particular location of content being received from that contentsource. This particular location can be, for example, the location ofcontent being played back from a digital video recorder orvideo-on-demand server at the time a request to run the application isreceived. When the application exits, the saved device tune state can beretrieved and the device can be returned to that saved device tunestate.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example consumer device 100 implementing theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments. Consumer device 100 can be any of a variety ofdevices that output video for display. For example, consumer device 100can be a computer, such as a desktop computer, server computer, a mobilestation, an entertainment appliance, a set-top box communicativelycoupled to a display device, a video playback device (e.g., digitalvideo recorder (DVR), digital versatile disk (DVD) player, etc.), atelevision, a cell or other wireless phone, a game console, a hand-heldgame console, a traditional set-top box, an automotive PC, and so forth.

Consumer device 100 includes a local content source 102, control module104, tune manifest store 106, device tune state store 108, contentplayback module 110, and device resource record store 112. Generally,content playback module 110 outputs content 120 for playback. Controlmodule 104 allows one or more applications to be executed by consumerdevice 100, each of which can output additional content as contentoutput 120. An application executing on consumer device 100 can manageits own content output 120, or alternatively manage its content outputvia content playback module 110. In one or more embodiments, controlmodule 104 is an operating system of consumer device 100.

The content 120 that is output or played back by consumer device 100refers to one or more of a variety of different types of content thatcan be displayed or otherwise presented to a user. Oftentimes content120 is audio/video content such as television programs or other programs(e.g., movies, sitcoms, commercials, news broadcasts, documentaries,sporting events, and so forth). Alternatively, content 120 can be onlyone type of content (e.g., just audio content, just video content,etc.), or can be other types of content (e.g., images, text, and soforth).

Content playback module 110 can obtain content for playback from avariety of different sources, including local and/or remote sources.This obtaining of content from a particular source is also referred toas device 100 or module 110 being tuned to that particular source.Regardless of the source, content playback module 110 plays back thecontent it obtains as content output 120. In one or more embodiments,content playback module 110 obtains content 130 from remote contentsource 132. Remote content source 132 can be, for example, a televisionbroadcast station, a network storage device, a video-on-demand service,and so forth. Different content sources 132 can have different channelsthat can be tuned to (e.g., different television channels), oralternatively each different channel can be referred to as a differentcontent source 132. Content 130 can be obtained in a variety ofdifferent manners, such as an analog or digital broadcast, via a cableor satellite transmission, via a network (e.g., the Internet, a localarea network, a cellular or other wireless phone network, etc.), and soforth.

Content playback module 110 can also obtain content from local contentsource 102. Local content source 102 is a local storage device that iscoupled to or included as part of consumer device 100. For example,local content source 102 can be a fixed or removable optical disc, afixed or removable magnetic disk, a fixed or removable solid state(e.g., flash memory) device, a portable content player, and so forth.

Content playback module 110 obtains content from local and/or remotesources and outputs the obtained content as content output 120. Contentplayback module 110 converts the obtained content into a format that canbe played back (e.g., displayed by a display device, played back byspeakers, etc.) and outputs the converted content as content 120.Content playback module 110 can also receive input from a user (e.g.,via a remote control device) or other component or module of device 100to control output 120, such as to pause playback of the content, selectparticular content for playback, select a particular content source,fast forward or rewind through the content, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, consumer device 100 plays back contentoutput 120 (e.g., displays video content, plays back audio content, andso forth). In other embodiments, consumer device 100 generates one ormore signals based on the content it obtains and outputs, as contentoutput 120, these generated signals to one or more other devices (e.g.,televisions, projectors, speakers, etc.) which in turn display orotherwise present the content.

Control module 104 allows one or more applications to be executed byconsumer device 100, each of which can output additional content ascontent output 120. This additional content can be output separatelyfrom the content obtained by playback module 110 by tuning to a localand/or remote source. For example, output of the content obtained byplayback module 110 can be temporarily suspended while the additionalcontent from an application is output. Alternatively, content playbackmodule 110 can combine this additional content from an application withthe content that module 110 has obtained, and display both concurrently.The manner in which both the content that module 110 obtains and theadditional content from the application are displayed concurrently canvary, such as the two different contents being displayed in differentwindows, the additional content overlaying at least a portion of thecontent module 110 obtains, and so forth.

Control module 104 receives a request to run an application from a userof consumer device 100 or alternatively from another component or moduleof device 100 or alternatively from another device. A user of device 100can request to run an application in a variety of different manners,such as by selecting an option to run the application that is displayedby content playback module 110 (e.g., displayed as a link, displayed asan icon, etc.), by selecting a particular button or key on a remotecontrol device that is associated with running one or more applications,and so forth.

When a request to run an application is received, control module 104obtains the requested application from application service 134.Application service 134 can be implemented on one or more of a varietyof different types of computing devices, analogous to consumer device100 discussed above. Applications 136 providing a variety of differentfunctionality are available from application service 134, such asapplications that provide additional information to a user, applicationsthat obtain content from one or more other content sources for playback,applications that allow user interaction (e.g., games, voting orfeedback applications, etc.), and so forth. Alternatively, one or moreapplications 136 can be obtained from a local application source, suchas a source coupled to consumer device 100 or included as part ofconsumer device 100, analogous to local content source 102 discussedabove.

Each application 136 can be one or more of a variety of different typesof applications. For example, an application 136 can be object code thatis run by one or more processors or other controllers of consumer device100. By way of another example, an application 136 can be a script thatis written in a scripting language and is run by another application.

It is to be appreciated that consumer device 100 includes or isotherwise associated with various resources that can be used by contentplayback module 110 and/or one or more applications 136. These resourcesare typically not unlimited and thus are shared by the various modules,components, applications, and so forth of consumer device 100. Theseresources can include, for example, hardware resources such as memory(e.g., an amount of RAM (random access memory) or other storageresources), bandwidth capacity of a network to which consumer device 100is coupled, a number of windows (e.g., picture-in-picture windows) thatcan be displayed concurrently, and so forth. The resources in oravailable to consumer device 100 can result in restrictions on contentthat can be obtained, a number of content sources that can be tuned toconcurrently, a number of applications that can run concurrently, and soforth.

For example, the available resources (e.g., memory) of consumer device100 may restrict device 100 to being able to concurrently display onehigh-definition (HD) content stream and one picture-in-picture window,or alternatively concurrently display one standard-definition (SD)content stream with six picture-in-picture windows. By way of anotherexample, the available resources of consumer device 100 may restrictdevice 100 to operating in an environment (e.g., a home) in which nomore than two HD content streams and two SD content streams can beplayed back by devices in that environment concurrently. By way of yetanother example, the available resources of consumer device 100 mayrestrict device 100 to receive streaming content from a website or othersource at not greater than a particular bit rate.

Consumer device 100 can obtain information identifying the availableresources of consumer device 100 in a variety of different manners. Inone or more embodiments, consumer device 100 is programmed or otherwiseconfigured with this information by a designer or distributor ofconsumer device 100 and/or by a service provider (e.g., a provider ofnetwork access). In other embodiments, consumer device 100 automaticallydetects this information. For example, consumer device 100 canautomatically detect the amount of memory or other storage in device 100in a variety of conventional manners, consumer device 100 canautomatically detect available bandwidth of a network to which device100 is coupled in a variety of conventional manners, and so forth.

Each application 136 can have a corresponding tune manifest thatidentifies one or more resources of consumer device 100 that theapplication may use. These one or more resources of consumer device 100that the application may use refers to a maximum amount of resourcesthat the application is expected to use, even though the application maynot be using all those resources at any given time. For example, anapplication may be able to display one HD content stream and threepicture-in-picture windows concurrently even though the applicationoftentimes displays only one SD content stream and onepicture-in-picture window concurrently. The tune manifest for thatapplication would identify that the one or more resources of consumerdevice 100 that the application may use is one HD content stream andthree picture-in-picture windows concurrently. The tune manifest foreach application 136 running on consumer device 100 is maintained intune manifest store 106.

In one or more embodiments, each application 136 includes an associatedtune manifest. Thus, when an application 136 is obtained fromapplication service 134, the tune manifest associated with thatapplication is also obtained. Alternatively, the tune manifestassociated with an application can be obtained from another service ordevice.

Consumer device 100 maintains a device resource record store 112 thatidentifies the available resources of consumer device 100 at any giventime. It is to be appreciated that some of the available resources ofconsumer device 100 may change frequently while others changeinfrequently. For example, the available RAM or other memory in consumerdevice 100 typically does not change frequently, whereas a number of HDcontent streams and/or SD content streams being played back by devicesin the same environment (e.g., a home) as consumer device 100 maytypically change frequently.

In the example of FIG. 1, tune manifest store 106 and device resourcerecord store 112 are illustrated as two separate stores. Alternatively,a tune manifest for an application that is running on consumer device100 can be maintained in device resource record store 112. The resourcesthat an application may use, as identified in a tune manifest associatedwith that application, can be viewed as being “reserved” and thus notavailable for one or more other applications to use. This caneffectively reduce the available resources of consumer device 100.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system 200 using tune manifests inaccordance with one or more embodiments. System 200 includes a controlmodule 202 which can be, for example, control module 104 of FIG. 1.Control module 202 manages execution of one or more applications 204(1),. . . , 204(x), each of which can be, for example, an application 136 ofFIG. 1. Each application 204 also has an associated tune manifest206(1), . . . , 206(x). Tune manifests 206 are illustrated as being partof their associated applications in FIG. 2, although alternatively tunemanifests 206 can be maintained separately from their associatedapplications as discussed above. System 200 also includes a deviceresource record 208 which can be, for example, a device resource recordmaintained in store 112 of FIG. 1.

During operation, control module 202 receives a request to run anapplication 204. In response to this request, control module 202 obtainsthe requested application 204 and the tune manifest 206 associated withthe requested application 204. Control module 202 then compares theobtained tune manifest 206 with device resource record 208. As part ofthis comparison, control module 202 determines whether the one or moreresources identified in the obtained tune manifest 206 can be satisfiedby the device implementing system 200. The one or more resourcesidentified in the obtained tune manifest 206 can be satisfied if theseone or more resources identified in the obtained tune manifest 206 arecurrently available in the device implementing system 200. Thisdetermination can be made based on the available resources of the deviceimplementing system 200 at any given time, as identified in deviceresource record 208 and optionally one or more tune manifests 206 ofapplications already running in system 200.

For example, assume that the obtained tune manifest 206 identifies thatthe associated application may use one HD content stream and threepicture-in-picture windows concurrently. If the device resource record208 indicates that one HD content stream and three picture-in-picturewindows can currently be displayed concurrently, then the deviceimplementing system 200 satisfies the obtained tune manifest 206.However, if the device resource record 208 indicates that one HD contentstream and only one picture-in-picture window can currently be displayedconcurrently, then the device implementing system 200 does not satisfythe obtained tune manifest 206. Whether one HD content stream and threepicture-in-picture windows can be displayed concurrently can bedetermined by control module 202 based on the available resources of thedevice implementing system 200 (e.g., in device resource record 208) aswell as resources that have been reserved as indicated in the tunemanifests 206 of one or more other applications already running insystem 200. The one HD content stream and three picture-in-picturewindows may not be able to currently be displayed concurrently for avariety of reasons, such as resources of the device implementing system200 already being used or reserved by other applications 204,insufficient resources in the environment in which the deviceimplementing system 200 is located (e.g., insufficient bandwidth on ahome network to receive an HD content stream given content streamsalready being received by other devices on the home network), and soforth.

If the one or more resources identified in the obtained tune manifest206 can be satisfied by the device implementing system 200, then controlmodule 202 runs the associated application 204. However, if the one ormore resources identified in the obtained tune manifest 206 cannot besatisfied by the device implementing system 200, then control module 202displays or otherwise presents a notification of a conflict. Thisnotification indicates to a user of the device implementing system 200that there is a potential conflict in running the requested application.This notification can optionally also indicate the nature of theconflict, such as by identifying the one or more resources from the tunemanifest that a device resource record 208 in the case are not currentlyavailable.

As part of this notification, a query is displayed or otherwisepresented requesting input as to whether running of the requestedapplication is desired. In response to this query, a user inputindicating to cancel running of the application can be received inresponse to which control module 202 does not run the requestedapplication. Alternatively, a user input indicating to continue loadingand running of the application can be received in response to whichcontrol module 202 runs the requested application. Additionalnotifications and/or queries can optionally subsequently be displayed orotherwise presented to inform the user of conflicts and/or how toresolve conflicts. These additional notifications and/or queries can bedisplayed or otherwise presented by control module 202 and/or anothercomponent or module of the device implementing system 200 and/or ofanother device.

In one or more embodiments, when a request to run an application 204 isreceived by control module 202, the requested application and itsassociated tune manifest are obtained. Alternatively, the tune manifestassociated with the requested application can be obtained in response tothe request to run the associated application, and then the associatedapplication can be obtained if the one or more resources identified inthe obtained tune manifest 206 can be satisfied by the deviceimplementing system 200, or if a user input indicating to continuerunning of the application is received.

Returning to FIG. 1, in addition to determining whether a tune manifestcan be satisfied by consumer device 100, the tune manifests associatedwith applications 136 can also be used to configure or alter settings ofconsumer device 100. A variety of different configuration registers,option settings, flags, and so forth can be set based on the tunemanifests. For example, consumer device 100 may have a configurationflag that is to be set when playback module 110 and/or an application136 tunes to an HD content stream, and can be cleared when playbackmodule 110 and/or an application 136 tunes to an SD content stream.Accordingly, if a tune manifest for an application 136 identifies an HDcontent stream as a resource, then control module 104 sets thisconfiguration flag prior to running the application 136.

Additionally, situations can arise where a change in a setting ofconsumer device 100 can be made so that a tune manifest can be satisfiedby consumer device 100. This can allow, for example, reserved resourcesthat may not actually be used to be released. For example, in one ormore embodiments device 100 includes a configuration flag that is set bydefault for tuning to a higher resolution (e.g., HD) content stream. Inresponse to this configuration flag being set, device 100 reservessufficient resources (e.g., memory, bandwidth, etc.) for tuning to thehigher resolution content stream, even though device 100 (including anyapplications running on device 100) may actually be tuned to one or morelower resolution (e.g., SD) content streams. If no application uses ahigher resolution content stream (as identified by the tune manifests ofthe running applications), then this configuration flag can be clearedin order to free the reserved resources. The freeing of these reservedresources may allow one or more additional applications to be run (basedon the tune manifests of the one or more additional applications) thatotherwise would not have been able to run.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 300 for usingapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments. Process 300 is carried out by a device, such asconsumer device 100 of FIG. 1, and can be implemented in software,firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof. Process 300 is an exampleprocess for using application tune manifests and tune state recovery;additional discussions of using application tune manifests and tunestate recovery are included herein with reference to different figures.

In process 300, a request to run an application is received (act 302).This request can be received from a user or alternatively anothercomponent or module as discussed above.

A check is then made as to whether a tune manifest is associated withthe application (act 304). Not all applications need to be associatedwith tune manifests, and in situations where the requested applicationdoes not have an associated tune manifest the requested application isloaded and run (act 306).

However, if the requested application does have an associated tunemanifest, then the tune manifest associated with the requestedapplication is compared to a device resource record of the deviceimplementing process 300 (act 308). The device resource recordidentifies the available resources of the device implementing process300 at any given time as discussed above.

A check is then made as to whether the tune manifest can be satisfied bythe device implementing process 300 (act 310). As discussed above, thischeck is made by determining whether the one or more resourcesidentified in the tune manifest can be satisfied by the deviceimplementing process 300. One or more configuration settings can alsooptionally be changed in act 310 to allow the tune manifest to besatisfied by the device implementing process 300, as discussed above.

If the tune manifest can be satisfied by the device implementing process300, then the requested application is loaded and run (act 306).However, if the tune manifest cannot be satisfied by the deviceimplementing process 300, then a notification of a conflict between theapplication and the device is presented (act 312). This notification canalso include a query as to whether running of the application is stilldesired as discussed above.

Process 300 then proceeds based on whether a request to continue withrunning the application is received (act 314). If a request to continuewith running the application is received, then the requested applicationis loaded and run (act 306). However, if no request to continue withrunning the application is received, then loading and running of theapplication is canceled (act 316), and the application is not run.

Returning to FIG. 1, content playback module 110 can tune to a varietyof different local and/or remote content sources as discussed above.Typically, when a request to run an application is received, playback ofthe content from the tuned to local and/or remote content sources ceaseswhile the application is run. In one or more embodiments, when a requestto run an application is received, control module 104 obtains a currentdevice tune state from content playback module 110 and stores thiscurrent device tune state in device tune state store 108. The currentdevice tune state includes an identifier of one or more content sourcesto which consumer device 100 is tuned at the current time (at the timethe request to run the application is received). Situations can arisewhere content playback module 110 (and thus consumer device 100) istuned to multiple different content sources concurrently. For example,content playback module 110 may be tuned to and playing back contentfrom one source as the main content playback, and can be tuned to andplaying back content from one or more other sources in one or morepicture-in-picture windows. The current device tune state can alsoinclude an identifier of a particular channel (e.g., a televisionchannel), of each of the one or more content sources to which consumerdevice is tuned at the current time.

Additionally, the current device tune state can also include anidentifier of a location in content being received from the contentsource. This location can be, for example, the location in the contentat the time the request to run the application is received. Thislocation can be identified in different manners, such as an identifierof a particular frame in the content, a temporal offset into thecontent, and so forth. For example, if content playback module 110 istuned to a digital video recorder (DVR) recording and is playing backcontent at a location 10 minutes and 35 seconds into the recording, anidentifier of the particular recording on the DVR as well as anidentifier of the location 10 minutes and 35 seconds into the recordingcan be saved as the current device tune state.

In addition to saving the current device tune state, one or more otheractions can also be taken by control module 104. In one moreembodiments, such an action is to begin recording of content from atuned to content source. This recording can be recording on a localstorage device (e.g., a local content source 102) or a remote storagedevice (e.g., remote content source 132). Optionally, the user canspecify whether such recording of the content is to be performed in avariety of different manners, such as by setting a configuration valueor preference for consumer device 100, responding to a query fromcontrol module 104 as to whether the recording of the content is to beperformed, and so forth. The content from the tuned to content sourcecan thus be recorded while the requested application is run, and theuser can subsequently resume playback of the tuned to content source atthe time that the request to run the application was received asdiscussed in more detail below. An identifier of the location of thecontent at the time the request to run the application is received canalso be stored and playback of the content from that identified locationcan resume when the application exits.

It should be noted that if such recording of the content from a tuned tocontent source is performed, then this can release one or more resourcesand allow an application to run that otherwise would not have been ableto run. For example, if an HD content stream is tuned to and beingplayed back by content playback module 110, then the resources (e.g.,memory) for playback of an HD content stream can be released because theHD content stream is being recorded rather than being played back. Byway of another example, if an HD content stream is tuned to and beingplayed back by content playback module 110, then the HD content streamcould be recorded by a remote storage device, thereby reducing thebandwidth used by device 100 in the environment (e.g., a home) in whichdevice 100 is operating.

When an application has stopped running, control module 104 determinesthat the application has exited. Control module 104 can determine thatthe application has exited in a variety of different manners, such as bymonitoring the application, receiving an indication from the applicationthat the application has exited, and so forth. In response todetermining that the application has exited, control module 104 obtainsthe device tune state from device tune state store 108 and returnsconsumer device 100 to that obtained device tune state. Thus, playbackmodule 110 is re-tuned to the same content source as module 110 wastuned to prior to running the application. Furthermore, if a location ofthe content that was being played back prior to running the applicationis included in the obtained device tune state, then playback module 110resumes playback of that content from the identified location.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 400 for using theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery in accordance withone or more embodiments. Process 400 is carried out by a device, such asconsumer device 100 of FIG. 1, and can be implemented in software,firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof. Process 400 is an exampleprocess for using application tune manifests and tune state recovery;additional discussions of using application tune manifests and tunestate recovery are included herein with reference to different figures.

In process 400, a request to run an application is received (act 402).This request can be received from a user or alternatively anothercomponent or module as discussed above.

A device tune state of the device is saved (act 404). As discussedabove, this device tune state includes an identifier of one or morecontent sources (and optionally one or more channels of those one ormore sources) to which the device implementing process 400 is tuned whenthe request is received in act 402. This device tune state can alsoinclude an identifier of the location of the content at the time therequest to run the application is received as discussed above.

The requested application is also run (act 406). Whether the applicationis run or a notification of a conflict between the application and thedevice implementing process 400 is presented can be determined asdiscussed above with respect to process 300 of FIG. 3.

Eventually, the application exits and the exiting of the runningapplication is identified (act 408). This exiting of a runningapplication can be identified or determined in a variety of differentmanners as discussed above.

A check is then made as to whether a previous device tune state isavailable (act 410). As discussed above, a current device tune statewhen a request to run an application is received can be stored. Howeversituations can arise where no content source was tuned to prior torunning the application and/or no device tune state was stored, in whichcase no previous device tune state is available.

If no previous device tune state is available then content playbackcontinues (act 412). The content source that is tuned to for thisplayback can be a default tuned to content source, a randomly selectedcontent source, or alternatively a content source selected in some othermanner. As there is no previous device tune state available, there is nostored identifier of a content source that the playback module can bere-tuned to.

However, if a previous device tune state is available, then the previousdevice tune state is retrieved (act 414). This previous device tunestate can be retrieved, for example, from device tune state store 108 ofFIG. 1.

The device is then restored to the previous device tune state (act 416),and content playback using the restored device tune state continues (act412). As the retrieved device tune state can identify a content source,the restoring of the previous device tune state can include re-tuningthe content playback module to the content source (and optionallychannel of the content source) identified in the device tune state. Theretrieved device tune state can also identify a location of the contentbeing played back from the tuned-to content source, and thus playback ofthe content can continue from the identified location.

It should also be noted that, in situations where the tuned to contentwas recorded while the requested application is run, the restoring ofthe device to the previous device tune state in act 416 can includeplaying back of the content from the recording. Thus, in such situationsthe restoring of the previous device tune state can include tuning thecontent playback module to a different content source (e.g., a recordingdevice) than the content was being obtained from prior to running theapplication. Alternatively, this content source (e.g., the recordingdevice) can be viewed as the content source to which the device wastuned prior to running the application.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example system 500 in which one or moreembodiments of the application tune manifests and tune state recoverycan be implemented. System 500 includes one or more content distributors502 that communicate content 504 to any number “N” of various televisionclient systems 508(1-N) via a communication network 510. Client systems508 can each be, for example, a different type (or alternatively thesame types) of consumer device 100 of FIG. 1. Communication network 510can be implemented to include an IP-based network that facilitatescontent distribution and data communication between the contentdistributor(s) 502 and any number of television client devices.

Each of client systems 508(1-N) includes a respective television clientdevice 512(1-N) and a respective display device 514(1-N), such as anytype of television, monitor, LCD, projector, or similar television-baseddisplay system that renders audio, video, and/or image data. Any ofclient devices 512(1-N) can be implemented as any one or combination ofa television client device, a gaming system, or as any othercomputing-based device, such as a desktop computer, a portable computer,a television set-top box, a digital video recorder (DVR), an appliancedevice, a gaming console, and/or as any other type of computing-basedclient device. Any of television client devices 512(1-N) may also beassociated with a user (e.g., a person) and/or an entity that operates aclient device such that a television client device describes logicalclients that include users, software, and/or devices.

Any of television client devices 512(1-N) of the respective clientsystems 508(1-N) can be implemented with one or more processors, memorycomponents, and a content playback system. Additionally, each oftelevision client devices 512(1-N) can be configured for communicationwith any number of different content distributors 502 to receive anytype of content 504 via the communication network 510. Further, any ofthe television client devices 512(1-N) can be implemented with anynumber and combination of differing components as further described withreference to the example client device shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 illustrates various components of an example consumer device 600that can be implemented as any form of a computing, electronic, ortelevision client device to implement one or more embodiments of theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery. For example,consumer device 600 can be implemented as consumer device 100 shown inFIG. 1, and/or as any of the client devices 512(1-N) of client systems508(1-N) shown in FIG. 5. In various embodiments, consumer device 600can be implemented as any one or combination of a television clientdevice, a gaming system, or as any other computing-based device, such asa desktop computer, a portable computer, a television set-top box, adigital video recorder (DVR), an appliance device, a gaming console,and/or as any other type of computing-based client device.

Consumer device 600 includes one or more content inputs 602 that mayinclude Internet Protocol (IP) inputs over which streams of content arereceived via an IP-based network. Consumer device 600 further includescommunication interface(s) 604 that can be implemented as any one ormore of a serial and/or parallel interface, a wireless interface, anytype of network interface, a modem, and as any other type ofcommunication interface. A wireless interface enables client device 600to receive control input commands 606 and other information from aninput device, such as from remote control device 608, a portablecomputing-based device (such as a cellular phone) 610, or from anotherinfrared (IR), 802.11, Bluetooth, or similar RF input device.

A network interface provides a connection between consumer device 600and a communication network by which other electronic and computingdevices can communicate data with device 600. Similarly, a serial and/orparallel interface provides for data communication directly betweenclient device 600 and the other electronic or computing devices. A modemfacilitates client device 600 communication with other electronic andcomputing devices via a conventional telephone line, a DSL connection,cable, and/or other type of connection.

Consumer device 600 also includes one or more processors 612 (e.g., anyof microprocessors, controllers, and the like) which process variouscomputer-executable instructions to control the operation of device 600,to communicate with other electronic and computing devices, and toimplement embodiments of the application tune manifests and tune staterecovery. Consumer device 600 can be implemented with computer-readablemedia 614, such as one or more memory components, examples of whichinclude random access memory (RAM), nonvolatile memory (e.g., any one ormore of a read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.),and a disk storage device. A disk storage device can include any type ofmagnetic or optical storage device, such as a hard disk drive, arecordable and/or rewriteable compact disc (CD), a DVD, a DVD+RW, andthe like.

Computer-readable media 614 provides data storage mechanisms to storevarious information and/or data such as software applications and anyother types of information and data related to operational aspects ofconsumer device 600. For example, an operating system 616 and/or othercomputer applications 618 can be maintained as software applicationswith the computer-readable media 614 and executed on processor(s) 612 toimplement embodiments of the application tune manifests and tune staterecovery.

Consumer device 600 can also include a program guide application 620that is implemented to process program guide data and generate programguides for display. A program guide enables a viewer to navigate throughan onscreen display and locate various content such as broadcastprograms, recorded programs, video on-demand programs and movies,interactive game selections, network-based applications, and othercontent of interest to the viewer.

Consumer device 600 can also include a DVR system 624 with playbackapplication 626, and recording media 628 to maintain recorded content630 that consumer device 600 receives and/or records. Further, consumerdevice 600 may access or receive additional recorded content that ismaintained with a remote data store (not shown). Consumer device 600 mayalso receive content from a video on-demand server, or content that ismaintained at a broadcast center or content distributor that distributesthe content to subscriber sites and client devices. Playback application626 is a video control application that can be implemented to controlthe playback of content, the recorded content 630, and/or other videoon-demand content, music, and any other audio, video, and/or imagecontent which can be rendered and/or displayed for viewing. Playbackapplication 626 can be, for example, content playback module 110 of FIG.1.

Consumer device 600 also includes an audio and/or video output 632 thatprovides audio and/or video data to an audio rendering and/or displaysystem 634. Audio rendering and/or display system 634 can include anydevices that process, display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, andimage data. Video signals and audio signals can be communicated fromconsumer device 600 to a display device 636 via an RF (radio frequency)link, S-video link, composite video link, component video link, DVI(digital video interface), analog audio connection, or other similarcommunication link. Alternatively, audio rendering and/or display system634 can be implemented as integrated components of the example consumerdevice 600. Consumer device 600 along with the audio rendering and/ordisplay system 634 is an example of a viewing system that can beimplemented in a household viewing area for viewing television programsand/or receiving other television content.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example entertainment and information system 700in which one or more embodiments of the application tune manifests andtune state recovery can be implemented. System 700 facilitates thedistribution of content, program guide data, and advertising content tomultiple viewers and to multiple viewing systems. System 700 includes acontent distributor 702 and any number “N” of client systems 704(1-N)each configured for communication via a communication network 706. Eachclient system 704(1-N) is an example of the client systems 508(1-N)described with reference to FIG. 5. Each of the client systems 704(1-N)can receive data streams of content, content, program guide data,advertising content, closed captioning data, and the like from contentserver(s) of content distributor 702 via communication network 706.

Communication network 706 can be implemented as any one or combinationof a wide area network (e.g., the Internet), a local area network (LAN),an intranet, an IP-based network, a broadcast network, a wirelessnetwork, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) network infrastructure, apoint-to-point coupling infrastructure, or as any other contentdistribution network. Additionally, communication network 706 can beimplemented using any type of network topology and any networkcommunication protocol, and can be represented or otherwise implementedas a combination of two or more networks. A digital network can includevarious hardwired and/or wireless links 708(1-N), routers, gateways, andso on to facilitate communication between content distributor 702 andclient systems 704(1-N).

System 700 includes a media server 710 that receives content from acontent source 712, program guide data from a program guide source 714,and advertising content from an advertisement source 716. In one or moreembodiments, media server 710 represents an acquisition server thatreceives the audio and video content from content source 712, an EPGserver that receives the program guide data from program guide source714, and/or an advertising management server that receives theadvertising content from the advertisement source 716.

Content source 712, program guide source 714, and advertisement source716 control distribution of the content, the program guide data, and atleast some of the advertising content to the media server 710 and/or toother servers. The content, program guide data, and advertising contentcan be distributed via various transmission media 718, such as satellitetransmission, radio frequency transmission, cable transmission, and/orvia any number of other wired or wireless transmission media. In thisexample, media server 710 is shown as an independent component of system700 that communicates the content, program guide data, and advertisingcontent to content distributor 702. In an alternate implementation,media server 710 can be implemented as a component of contentdistributor 702.

Content distributor 702 is representative of a headend service in acontent distribution system, for example, that provides the content,program guide data, and advertising content to multiple subscribers(e.g., the client systems 704(1-N)). Content distributor 702 can beimplemented as a satellite operator, a network television operator, acable operator, and the like to control distribution of content, programand advertising content, such as movies, television programs,commercials, music, and other audio, video, and/or image content toclient systems 704(1-N).

Content distributor 702 includes various content distribution components720 to facilitate content processing and distribution, such as asubscriber manager, a device monitor, and one or more content servers.The subscriber manager manages subscriber data, and the device monitormonitors client systems 704(1-N) (e.g., and the subscribers), andmaintains monitored client state information.

Although the various managers, servers, and monitors of contentdistributor 702 (to include media server 710 in one or more embodiments)are described as distributed, independent components of contentdistributor 702, any one or more of the managers, servers, and monitorscan be implemented together as a multi-functional component of contentdistributor 702. Additionally, any one or more of the managers, servers,and monitors described with reference to system 700 can implementfeatures and embodiments of the application tune manifests and tunestate recovery.

Content distributor 702 includes communication interface(s) 722 that canbe implemented as any type of interface to communicate and receive datafrom client devices of the television system. Content distributor 702also includes one or more processors 724 (e.g., any of microprocessors,controllers, and the like) which process various computer-executableinstructions to control the operation of content distributor 702.Content distributor 702 can be implemented with computer-readable media726 which provides data storage to maintain software applications suchas an operating system 728 and content 730 for distribution to theclient systems 704(1-N).

Client systems 704(1-N) can each be implemented to include a clientdevice 732 and a display device 734 (e.g., a television, LCD, and thelike). A client device 732 of a respective client system 704 can beimplemented in any number of embodiments, such as a set-top box, adigital video recorder (DVR) and playback system, an appliance device, agaming system, and as any other type of client device that may beimplemented in an entertainment and information system. In an alternateembodiment, client system 704(N) is implemented with a computing device736 as well as a client device. The computing device 736 is an exampleof a connected data store that can record and maintain content for aclient device. Additionally, any client device 732 of a respectiveclient system 704 can implement features and embodiments of theapplication tune manifests and tune state recovery as described herein.

Generally, any of the functions or techniques described herein can beimplemented using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logiccircuitry), manual processing, or a combination of theseimplementations. The terms “module” and “component” as used hereingenerally represent software, firmware, hardware, or combinationsthereof. In the case of a software implementation, the module orcomponent represents program code that performs specified tasks whenexecuted on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can bestored in one or more computer-readable memory devices. The features ofthe application tune manifests and tune state recovery described hereinare platform-independent, meaning that the techniques can be implementedon a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety ofprocessors.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for resuming content playback, themethod comprising: receiving a request to run an application on a deviceduring playback of media content on the device, wherein the mediacontent is received from a content source; based on receiving therequest to run the application: storing an indication that identifiesthe content source in response to receiving the request to run theapplication; running the application, wherein playback of the mediacontent is paused while the application is run; identifying when theapplication is exited; based on identifying that the application isexited: retrieving the indication of the content source; automaticallyaccessing, using the device, the content source identified in theretrieved indication; and resuming playback of the media content;receiving a request to run an additional application, wherein theadditional application is associated with a tune manifest thatidentifies additional hardware resources of the device that theadditional application may use; comparing the tune manifest to a deviceresource record stored on the device; determining, based at least on thecomparing, whether the additional hardware resources may be satisfied bythe device; and generating for display a notification of a conflictbetween the additional application and the device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the application is associated with the tune manifestthat identifies one or more hardware resources of the device that therespective application may use.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theone or more hardware resources of the device comprise at least one of:an amount of memory of the device and a bandwidth capacity of a networkto which the device is coupled.
 4. The method of claim 2, whereinrunning the application comprises: comparing the tune manifest to adevice resource record stored on the device; and determining, based atleast on the comparing, whether the one or more resources identified inthe tune manifest can be satisfied by the device.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the device resource record identifies one or more hardwareresources that may be satisfied by the device.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein the device resource record identifies one or more hardwareresources of the device that have been reserved for use by an additionalapplication.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying when theapplication is exited comprises monitoring the application, receiving anindication from the application that the application has exited, orreceiving a request to cancel running the application.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising downloading the application from a remoteservice.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, inresponse to receiving the request to run the application, data thatindicates that the device was accessing the content source at a timethat the request to run the application was received.
 10. A system forresuming content playback, the system comprising: processing circuitryconfigured to: receive a request to run an application on a deviceduring playback of media content on the device, wherein the mediacontent is received from a content source; based on receiving therequest to run the application: store an indication that identifies thecontent source in response to receiving the request to run theapplication; run the application, wherein playback of the media contentis paused while the application is run; identify when the application isexited; based on identifying that the application is exited: retrievethe indication of the content source; automatically access, using thedevice, the content source identified in the retrieved indication; andresume playback of the media content; receive, a request to run anadditional application, wherein the additional application is associatedwith a tune manifest that identifies additional hardware resources ofthe device that the additional application may use; compare the tunemanifest to a device resource record stored on the device; determine,based at least on the comparing, whether the additional hardwareresources may be satisfied by the device; and generate for display anotification of a conflict between the additional application and thedevice.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the application isassociated with the tune manifest that identifies one or more hardwareresources of the device that the respective application may use.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the one or more hardware resources of thedevice comprise at least one of: an amount of memory of the device and abandwidth capacity of a network to which the device is coupled.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured torun the application by: comparing the tune manifest to a device resourcerecord stored on the device; and determining, based at least on thecomparing, whether the one or more resources identified in the tunemanifest can be satisfied by the device.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the device resource record identifies one or more hardwareresources that may be satisfied by the device.
 15. The system of claim13, wherein the device resource record identifies one or more hardwareresources of the device that have been reserved for use by an additionalapplication.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein the processingcircuitry is configured to identify when the application is exited bymonitoring the application, receiving an indication from the applicationthat the application has exited, or receiving a request to cancelrunning the application.
 17. The system of claim 10, wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to download the applicationfrom a remote service.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to retrieve, in response toreceiving the request to run the application, data that indicates thatthe device was accessing the content source at a time that the requestto run the application was received.